What's that old saying about how music works in cycles? That adage is even true in the underground music scene(see: the whole "nu disco"phenom) .
DISCO'S REVENGE is proud to introduce an act that has taken the old school Chicago "jack" and "acid house" sound and updated it for the 21st. century.
German based dj/producers, SNUFF CREW takes a decidedly "retro" approach to their music and if you close your eyes and listen, their music sounds as if you are transported back in time to a warehouse in Chicago in the late '80's during the formative years of House Music.
Performing in masks to hide their identity, Eins & Zwei are dedicated to preserving that "raw" feel of early Chicago House and Detroit techno. Their music is featured in the sets of a virtual "who's who" of international dj talent such as Seth Troxler, Larry Tee, Danny Howells, Luke Solomon, DJ Deep, Dubfire, A-Trak, Tim Sweeney and John Digweed.
What follows is a interview where they discuss their early influences, the nightlife scene in Berlin and their label, Snuff Trax.
enjoy.
Your sound is unique amongst many current artists for the fact that you have taken a decidedly "retro" approach that harkens back to early Chicago "jack" sound of labels such as Trax and DJ International. What were some early influences that helped to shape your style of djing and production?
It´s always hard to mention only a few names. But on one side we are of course strongly influenced by the 80´s Chicago House stuff from artists like Farley Jackmaster Funk, Chip E, Tyree, DJ Pierre, Larry Heard, Marshall Jefferson, Adonis, Fast Eddie (...) and also by recordings of the legendary Hot Mix 5 shows on WBMX. On the other side Techno, House and Acid from the early 90s was important for us. Releases from people like Laurent Garnier, LFO, Underworld, Hardfloor, Josh Wink and some others still kick us. All in all we can say that we are influenced by music that makes your body jack and that lets you scream and sweat on the dancefloor.
Can you give us a brief background on the reason you perform with masks and remain anonymous in this age of "superstar" djs and will there ever come a time when you will forgo the masks?
We always say: Music should be the main thing, not the people who make it. This is the the reason, why we wear masks. And actually we are far away from being superstars (unfortunately :-) )
Your remix of the Billy Ray Martin and Hard Ton´s remake of seminal Chicago classic "Fantasy Girl" was released earlier this year and you have remixed Chicago legend, Robert Owens; are you planning on any future projects with some of the old school legends?
We also made a track with Robert (for Snuff Trax 005: "Clarity") and Mr K'Alexi Shely remixed the Raiders of the lost ARP release (Snuff Trax 004).
At the moment we are working on our next Snuff Crew album. This one will feature some great international guests like Kim Ann Foxman, Hard Ton and some others
It appears that Germany has become somewhat of a European centre for House Music in general and "deep house" specifically, what makes Germany such a nightlife destination spot and which parties/clubs would you recommend?
Well the reason for the popularity is actually only one city: Berlin. Many artists, producer, labelmakers, DJs and other creative people moved to here in the last years. The advantage of Berlin is maybe that it is no typical German city. It´s more an international hot spot where still more things are possible than in any other German city. For some people it became hyped too much, but Snuff Crew loves Berlin and one half of us moved to there.
In the city you can discover a lot of great small clubs and also some bigger venues with a fantastic music program. For us Berghain is still the most inspiring place, but we also like a lot of other venues.
You mentioned some of your early influences, can you share with us what current artists help to inspire you?
Well there are also a lot of great current artists and labels that inspire us. First of all the releases and sets of our friends KiNK & Neville Watson, Andreas Gehm, Hard Ton, Photonz, Steffi & Virginia, Kim Ann Foxman, Dance Disorder, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Tiger & Woods and many more.
Also releases from labels like Ostgut Ton, Skylax, Compost, Killekill, Rush Hour, Clone, Mojuba, Mathematics etc etc.
Can you give us some background on your label, Snuff Trax?
Snuff Trax is our playground. We´ve released our 5th record now - Snuff Crew feat Robert Owens - Clarity (with remixes by Steffi and Andreas Gehm)
Snuff Trax 006 will feature tracks by Humandrone from Japan and remixes by our Italian jackmates Marcello Napoletano and Simoncino..
Your live show is pretty intense. You use the latest technology to produce a "retro" sound. For the gear heads and techies out there, give us a brief description of your setup?
Our equipment live on stage is really minimized. We use two Macbooks, some controllers and effects... That´s it. We always do a kind of jam session with samples and elements of released and unreleased tracks. So every set is different and we like this fact very much.
Outside of Germany, what are some of your favorite places to play and have you plans to come to the U.S. or North America in general?
Actually we enjoy every gig in every city in every country that invites us. But especially the shows in Japan, Russia, Romania, Italy and Portugal were special! We hope to get booked to the US or North America soon. Would be great to do a little tour and jack with our fans..
5 tracks that get the punters on the dancefloor?
1. Kenny Jammin Jason & Fast Eddie - Can U Dance?
2. Laurent Garnier - Flashback
3. Phuture - Acid Tracks
4. KiNK & Neville Watson - Metropole
5. Inner City - Good Life
